Sarfaraz Ahmed slams first Test fifty in Pakistan: Key stats

The first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi marked the return of Sarfaraz Ahmed to the format. Ahmed, playing his 50th Test, raced to his 19th fifty in the format. Ahmed, who is appearing in his first Test in Pakistan, returned to the format after nearly four years. He replaced fellow wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan for the series opener.

• Before this match, Ahmed played a Test for Pakistan in January 2019 (against South Africa).
• Ahmed, who was leading Pakistan at that time, scored a fifty in that match.
• The 35-year-old was later stripped of captaincy and dropped across formats.
• Ahmed led Pakistan to a historic ICC Champions Trophy title in 2017.
• He would want to make a mark on his Test return.

Ahmed came to the middle when Pakistan were tottering on 110/4 after electing to bat first. He joined forces with skipper Babar Azam and shared a century-plus stand. Together, the duo propelled Pakistan past the 300-run mark. While Babar raced to his ninth century in Test cricket, Ahmed completed his 19th half-century. Ajaz Patel eventually dismissed Ahmed for 86(153).

As stated, Ahmed is playing his first Test in Pakistan. He featured in as many as 20 Tests in the UAE, which earlier served as Pakistan's host nation in international cricket. Test cricket returned to Pakistan in December 2019.

Ahmed made his Test debut in January 2010 against Australia. In a career spanning over a decade, the right-handed batter has slammed 2,743 runs at an average of 37.06. The last of his three Test centuries came in November 2014. He scored a 195-ball 112 against New Zealand in Dubai. Notably, all three of his Test tons came in 2014.